Jephtha is Handel’s last oratorio. It ended a long stream of compositions
in this genre. The reception for his oratorios was mixed: in the late 1740s
Judas Maccabaeus, Joshua, Susanna and Solomon were greeted
with enthusiasm, but Belshazzar and Theodora were received with
indifference. Handel started to compose Jephtha in December 1750. During
the compositional process his health deteriorated as a stroke caused blindness
of his left eye. This meant that he needed more time than usual to finish
the work.

Handel started to compose oratorios when the audiences had had their fill
of Italian operas. In his hands the oratorio developed into the sacred counterpart
of Italian opera. Most of them are operas in all but name. The main differences
are the use of the vernacular, the lack of staging and the prominence of the
choir. Although the subjects were sacred and based on biblical stories, the
libretti contained many elements which were the product of the librettist’s
fantasy. In Jephtha the clergyman Thomas Morell provided the words.
He had a perfect sense of the requirements of a musical drama. That inspired
him to write a libretto which keeps the thread of the biblical story of Jephtha
intact, but builds in a number of elements which are not taken from the Bible.
The story is based on Judges 11 which tells of Jephtha leading the Jewish
people in the war against the Ammonites. He promises God that if he is victorious,
he will sacrifice the first creature he meets on his return. To his horror
it is his daughter Iphis who greets him. The desperation of all people involved
- with the exception of Iphis herself - is expressed in the second act, ending
with the dramatic chorus 'How dark, O Lord, are Thy decrees!' In the third
act the sacrifice is prepared, until an angel intervenes. Instead of being
sacrificed, Iphis has to devote her entire life to God.

The libretto by Morell is based on the Latin tragedy Jephte sive votum
by George Buchanan (1554). In this piece the number of characters was increased.
Whereas the biblical story only mentions Jephtha and his daughter, Morell's
libretto has roles for his wife (Storgè), his brother (Zebul), his daughter's
lover (Hamor) and an angel. Moreover the daughter - who has no name in the
Bible - is called Iphis. In the portrayal of the various characters Morell
made use of a classical tragedy: Iphigenie in Aulis by Euripides. All
the protagonists have an aria in the first act which gives the opportunity
to depict their respective characters. The choir in Handel's dramatic oratorios
doesn't comment or reflect as a bystander but takes a decisive role. Here
it is predominantly the chorus of the Israelites, whereas in act 3 it once
assumes the role of the chorus of priests.

It is not common practice these days to perform the great oratorios of the
baroque era with modern instruments. If one has the sound of period instruments
in one's ear one needs to readjust to appreciate a performance with a modern
symphony orchestra. Fabio Biondi has done a great job in translating historical
performance practice to the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. The phrasing and
articulation and the treatment of dynamics are quite stylish and the strings
largely avoid vibrato. Still, this performance once again shows the limits
of modern instruments in the interpretation of baroque music. I often missed
depth and colour. Moreover, a baroque-style articulation on modern instruments
sounds rather unnatural. It is also inevitable that dynamic contrasts are
moderate, as a full exploration of the dynamic capabilities of modern instruments
would cause problems to the singers and would violate the character of the
music.

The cast is pretty good overall. Mona Julsrud is particularly impressive as
Iphis. She explores the contrasting feelings of her character very well. 'Farewell,
ye limpid springs' (Act 3) is wonderfully sung. The role of Jephtha is nicely
suited to James Gilchrist, who gives a good account of his character's devastation
when he realises that he has to sacrifice his daughter. It is just a shame
that his incessant vibrato spoils enjoyment. That is also a problem with Elisabeth
Jansson as Storgè, for instance in 'Sweet as sight to the blind' (Act 3).
She is too restrained in her accompagnato 'First perish thou' (Act 2). Marianne
Beate Kielland has by far the most beautiful voice of all the ladies in the
cast. She uses it well in her performance of the rather sweet role of Hamor.
HÅvard Stensvold gives a good account of Zebul, whereas Elisabeth Rapp
convinces as the Angel. As far as I can tell the English pronunciation is
quite good, but in some recitatives the diction could have been better. That
is probably due to the fact that only Gilchrist is a native English speaker.
No wonder his diction is immaculate.

The Collegium vocale Gent hardly needs any praise as it is one of the world's
leading vocal ensembles in early music. Its transparency and agility are impressive
as always, and these qualities are very opportune here. The famous chorus
'How dark, O Lord, are Thy decrees' is marvellously sung.

Despite some critical remarks this is a rather good performance. Even so I
doubt whether it is real competition for recordings which are already on the
market. There are two reasons: the first is the use of modern instruments,
the second that the most dramatic parts are too restrained. My favourite recording
so far is the one in which Marcus Creed conducts the RIAS Kammerchor and the
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (1992, Berlin Classics; later reissued by Brilliant
Classics). This recording by Fabio Biondi give me no reason to change my mind.